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Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Graduate Programs

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Counseling Psychology (PhD)

The counseling psychology training program at BYU emphasizes the educational, developmental, and multicultural functions of counseling psychologists. Students are prepared to work as counseling psychologists in college counseling centers, academic departments, independent practice, and a variety of behavioral health and educational settings.
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School Psychology (EdS)

The EdS degree in school psychology prepares students to pursue credentialing as school psychologists in K–12 educational settings and is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) through December 2026. Knowledge and competency areas include counseling (individual and group); responsive services; consultation with parents, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals; child and adolescent emotional and social needs; learning theory; promotion of healthy growth and development; prevention and early intervention; assessment leading to intervention with educational, personal/ social, career, and mental health issues; multicultural counseling; historical and educational foundations; professional roles and expectations; ethics; family and institutional systems; and research and evaluation.

Application Deadlines Fall: Dec 15
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Special Education (MS)

The program in special education prepares graduates to provide collaborative leadership to facilitate academic and social learning for all students including individuals with disabilities and/or those at-risk for learning or behavioral problems. To prepare graduate level special educators and behavior analysts to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams the masters program focuses on Applied Behavior Analysis and Multi-tiered System of Supports. The masters program is open to special education teachers, other educators, as well as students from other disciplines. Courses are taught in the evenings to accommodate current school teacher's schedules during Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Application Deadlines Fall: Jan 15
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Faculty

See a full list of Counseling Psychology and Special Education
department graduate faculty

Courses

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graduate courses
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Contact

340 MCKB
(801) 422-3859
diane_hancock@byu.edu
Department Website

The Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education prepares educators and professionals who work with individuals, small groups, and organizations/systems. The programs offered in the department all pursue at least two common goals. The first is to help individuals enhance the quality of their lives through meaningful personal, educational, and career development. A second common goal is to assist people in overcoming barriers to learning and to experience success and happiness in life. These barriers include unsupportive environments and individuals' difficulties in thinking, learning, making decisions, relating to others, understanding the impact of their behavior, and so forth.

Faculty implement a scientist-practitioner model through which students and faculty enhance learning through research and inquiry. Further, in dealing with those whom they serve, students apply the principles learned from research evidence. Since their work is often highly personal, it is essential that students possess and develop integrity, using professional standards of ethical conduct. They must also develop the knowledge and skills essential to promote positive change in individuals struggling with important aspects of their lives. The settings in which graduates typically serve include public and private schools, colleges, and universities.

Each program assists students in planning individual course work, receiving supervised practical experience, and obtaining appropriate credentials (certification and licensure).

Three degrees are offered through the Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education: Special Education—MS; School Psychology—EdS; and Counseling Psychology—PhD.

The average number of students admitted varies by program as follows:

Special Education 6 every year

School Psychology 12 every year

Counseling Psychology 6 every year

Chair:  Ellie L. Young
Counseling Psychology Graduate Coordinator:  Aaron P. Jackson
School Psychology Graduate Coordinator:  Ellie L. Young
Special Education Graduate Coordinator:  Cade Charlton

Resources & Opportunity:

Computer Laboratories. The University's remote server provides access to a wide variety of computer programs including SPSS, SAS, and M+.

Graduate Student Project and Research Laboratory. Space is provided for graduate students who are working with faculty on research, evaluation, and development projects.

Study Areas. Graduate study areas are available in the CPSE Graduate Lab, the McKay School of Education Technology Education Computing Lab, and the Harold B. Lee Library.

For a more detailed description of the graduate program requirements, view the department Web page.

Financial Assistance:

Graduate Assistantships. Graduate assistantships include working with selected faculty members on research projects, curriculum development, and other assignments for 5 to 20 hours per week. Several other organizations on campus, such as the Counseling and Psychological Services, often request students to serve as graduate assistants.

Scholarships. All students matriculate in one of the graduate programs will receive partial-tuition scholarships based on merit and/or need. These scholarships are awarded through the initial years of the program, prior to internships year.

University Financial Aid. Other sources of financial aid are available to students through the Financial Aid Office, A-41 ASB, Provo, UT 84602-1009. International students can contact the International Students Services Office at internationalservices.byu.edu, then select the "Scholarship" link.

BYU Graduate Studies offers several sources for support such as Graduate Mentoring Awards and Graduate Student Research Fellowship Awards.